Search for missing Southern Illinois woman will continue Wednesday

After searching all day Tuesday for a woman missing from Royal Lakes, a large group of first responders plans to go out again Wednesday to continue scouring the area where the woman was last seen.

Denita Hedden, 37, was last seen Jan. 25 in the area of Royal Lakes, according to Lt. Christopher Tharp, deputy commander with the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis. Police consider her “sudden and abrupt” disappearance to be suspicious.

Police searched from 8 a.m. to dusk Tuesday for Hedden and plan to do the same Wednesday, Tharp said.

In a news release, Tharp said people shouldn’t infer anything about the investigation based on the fact that Hedden wasn’t found Tuesday.

More than 40 police, fire and emergency management agencies joined the search for Hadden on Tuesday.

Hedden was last seen leaving her Royal Lakes home at about 2 p.m. Jan. 25 wearing a maroon hoodie sweatshirt with orange sleeves and blue jeans. She is 5-foot and weighs about 110 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes.

“The fact that Hedden has had no contact with family and friends for an extended amount of time raises considerable concern,” Tharp said in a news release.

Anyone with information about Hedden or her whereabouts can contact the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis at 618-585- 3510; the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office at 217-854-3135, ext: 1; or Macoupin and Montgomery County CrimeStoppers at 800-352-0136.

This story was originally published February 6, 2018 at 10:14 PM with the headline "Search for missing Southern Illinois woman will continue Wednesday."